Long Beach board of education to review worst-case scenario budget

LONG BEACH - The Long Beach Unified Board of Education on Tuesday is expected to review a grim budget plan that calls for extreme cuts including eliminating high school sports and slashing the school year by 20 days if a November tax initiative fails.

In a worst-case scenario, the district projects a $189 million deficit out of its $700 million operating budget by 2014 if state budget cuts continue.

School officials are hoping voters will approve a November tax initiative that would help fund schools, but if the initiative fails, the district is most certainly looking at budget reductions that will be felt deep in the community, said LBUSD spokesman Chris Eftychiou.

"We've cut so much for so long and now we're down to the bone," he said.

By law, the district is required to provide a fiscal stabilization plan to the Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools showing that it can meet its financial obligations for this fiscal year and the next two years.

The board today is expected to approve two different financial plans to send to the county, including a worst-case plan with never-before- seen cuts.

Those cuts could include the elimination of high school and middle school sports, reducing the school year from 180 days to 160 days, increasing class sizes, eliminating librarians and counselors, slashing elementary school music and art programs, cutting adult education and closing multiple small schools.

After more than 1,000 layoffs in the past two years, the district is now looking at cuts to nonessential programs to help balance the budget, Eftychiou said.

"We're basically looking at cutting anything that's not required by the state," he said, adding that high school sports programs aren't mandated.

Eftychiou said the district's financial plan could change depending on the outcome of the state budget and the approval of the November tax initiative. For now, the district is still able to balance its budget and is better off than many other school districts in danger of going bankrupt, he added.

The California Department of Education in its first internal status report for the 2011-2012 school year listed 120 school districts in danger of not meeting their financial obligations for this fiscal year and the next two years. The CDE listed seven school districts that won't meet their financial obligations this year.

The LBUSD board last month voted to lay off more than 300 employees, including the entire staff of the Head Start preschool program. The board will review further reductions in the coming months with the goal of saving $15 million to $20 million for the 2012-2013 fiscal year.

The LBUSD Board meets today at 5 p.m. at 1515 Hughes Way in Long Beach.